Rack for dip coating sheetlike material



March 21, 1944. RORFAN 2,344,855

RACK FOR DIP COATING SHEET-LIKE MATERIAL Filed June 2, .1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l ,4 7- TO/P March 21, 1944. M. l. DORFAN 2,344,855

I RACK FOR DIP COATING SHEET-LIKE MATERIAL Filed June 2, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TOR. 070p TON Doxe/m/v.

HY WIT/VEJJES.

Patented Mar. 21,. 1944 t in.

UNITED arms RACK FOR DIP C'OATING MATERIAL Application June 2, 1943, Serial No. 489,34$

8 Claims.

The invention relates to racks for dipping sheet-like material into coating baths, and is particularly applicable to racks for dipping plain or corrugated sheet steel into baths of bituminous base coating materials according to the procedure disclosed. in mycopefiding application Serial No. 489,347, filed June 2, 1943.

The object of the invention is to provide a dipping rack for the purpose explained, on and from which sheetmaterial may be quickly loaded and unloaded, and by which the material is held vertically in laterally spaced position for contact with a liquid coating.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings of which Fig. l is a side view of a partially loaded rack; Fig. 2 a plan view thereof; Fig. 3 a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line III-III, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 a transverse sectional view of a sheet-supporting structure, the plane of view being indicated by the line IVIV, Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 a side View of the structure shown in Fig. 4.

The rack provided according to this invention includes vertical corner posts I and 2 on one side and la and 2a n the other side, and stays con necting the upper and lower end portions of the 2 to each other to form one side of the frame, and

top and bottom stays 3a and to connect the ends of posts Ia and 2a to form the other side of it. Similarly, the ends of posts I and Ia are connected by horizontal stays and 'I to form'one end of the frame, and the ends of posts 2 and 2a are connected by horizontal stays 6 and 8 to form the other end. Intermediate their ends, posts I and la as well as posts 2 and 2a are preferably connected to each other by horizontal stays 9 and II], respectively. As shown, the several posts and stays which form a rectangular frame preferably consist of pipes connected by Ts and threeway pipe fittings.

The bottom of the frame is provided with a foraminous sheet-like floor I5 which may be.

angles I6 whose edges are supported by and may be welded to bot-tom stays 4 and 4d at the sides of the frame. By using a wire mesh floor the explained. As shown inFig. 1, these vertical bars are connected at their upper ends to T fittings t9 whose two-way portions are slidably mounted on stays 3 and 3a and their lower ends are similarly connected to supplemental stays 2d and 29s by T's 2 I. The several vertical bars may be held in their laterally adjusted positions by suitable screws 22 which extend through the T fittings as shown. Extending between vertical bars ll and I'll: there are cross bars 25 and 2B, and between vertical bars I8 and I8a there are cross bars 2's and 28 for engaging the edges of laterally spaced sheets 29 to hold them vertically. However, if desired, the lower cross bars 26 and 28 may be omitted.

The means formed by the cross bars for en gaging the edges of the sheets preferably consist 01. a plurality of laterally spaced fingers which are independently movable on each cross bar into and out of engagement with the sheets adjacent to it. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5 each finger 30 may be formed of a strip of sheet metal provided at its outer edge with a notch 3| for engaging the edge of a sheet, and shaped at its, other end in cylindrical form to surround a cross bar and be freely rotatable thereon. These fingers are preferably held in their laterally spaced positions by rings or collars 32 which may be borne loosely by the cross bar, or suitably connected to it. As shown in full lines in Fig. 4, finger 311 is turned downwardly to engage the edge of a sheet of corrugated steel 29, and as shown in dotted lines 1 it is turned upwardly to release the sheet for re moval from the rack. For conveniently holding the fingers in their released position, a stop bar 33 may be positioned as shown and suitably connected to the sides of the frame, and to prevent the fingers from dropping below the horizontal in their sheet-engaging position a similar stop bar 34 is arranged in the position shown and similarly connected to the sides of the frame.

As disclosed in my above-mentioned patent application, two dipping racks such .as disclosed herein are suspended above a tank of coating material; in that case a bituminous base material. Each rack is suspended by a cable whose lower end is provided with four branches, one of which is connected to each of four eyes 35 that are attached to the tops of the three-way fittings at the upper ends of corner posts I, 2, Ia and 2a. The suspension arrangement is such that while one dipping rack is in the coating tank the other is above it in a position to be unloaded and loaded. and also such that when one rack is being removed from the coating tank the other is simultaneously lowered into it.

Assuming an elevated rack to be unloaded, the vertical bars l'l, Ha, i8 and lBa are laterally adjusted to receive sheets 29 of a known width.

fingers 30 on cross bars 21 and 28 are swung upwardly to bear against stop 33 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The rack may be loaded from either side alone, or from both sides simultaneously. I! loaded from one side only, one edge of a sheet is manually positioned in the notches of the first of horizontal fingers 30 on cross bars 25 and 26, and the sheet is moved to a position to register with the notches on the first of the fingers on cross bars 21 and 28 which are then elevated. These fingers are then manually turned downwardly to engage the edge of the thus positioned sheet. Thereafter the sheets are similarly positioned one after another in the rack until t is filled. After the rack has been lowered to dip coat the sheets, and again elevated, the

' sheets are removed separately from one or both sides of the rack, fingers 30 engaging one edge of each sheet being turned upwardly by hand to release the sheet. The loading and unloading may thus be quickly done, and when loaded the sheets are held vertically in laterally spaced position for proper contact with liquid coating material.

According to the provisions of the Patent Statutes, I have explained the principle and mode of operation of my invention, and have illustrated and described what I now consider-to be its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope-of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. A rack for dipping sheet-like material into a coating bath, comprising vertical corner posts and horizontal side and end stays connected to the upper and lower end portions of the posts 90 form a rectangular frame, a foraminous sheetsupporting floor at the bottom of the frame, a pair of vertical bars borne by the top and bottom of each of the opposite sides of the frame, and horizontal cross bars borne by said vertical bars and extending from one to the other side of the frame, said cross bars being provided with means for engaging the edges of laterally spaced sheets to hold them vertically. I

2. A rack for dipping sheet-like material into a coating bath, comprising vertical corner posts on the frame variably to position said cross bars to receive sheets of different widths.

3. A rack for dipping sheet-like material into a coating bath, comprising vertical corner posts and horizontal side and end stays connected to the upper and lower end portions of the posts to form a rectangular frame, a foraminous sheetsupporting floor at the bottom of the frame, a pair of vertical bars borne by the top and bottom of each of the opposite sides of the frame, and horizontal cross bars borne by said vertical bars and extending from one to the other side of the frame, said cross bars being provided with a plurality of laterally spaced fingers independently movable into and out of engagement with the edges of laterally spaced sheets to hold them vertically.

4. A rack for dipping sheet-like material into a coating bath, comprising vertical corner posts and horizontal side and end stays connected to the upper and lower end portions of the posts to form a rectangular frame, a foraminous sheetsupporting floor at*the bottom of the frame, a pair of vertical bars home by the top and bottom of each of the opposite sides of the frame, and horizontal cross bars borne by said vertical bars and extending from one to the other of the frame, said cross bars being provided with means for engaging the edges of laterally spaced sheets to hold them vertically, the sheet-engaging means on at least one of the cross bars consisting of a plurality of laterally spaced fingers independently movable into and out of enga ement with the edges of the sheets.

5. A rack for dipping sheet-like material into a coating bath, comprising vertical corner posts and horizontal side and end stays connected to the upper and lower end portions of the posts to form a rectangular frame, means at the bottom of the frame for supporting the lower ends of sheets, a pair of vertical bars borne by the top and bottom of each of the opposite sides of the frame, a pair of vertically spaced horizontal cross and horizontal side and end stays connected'to the upper and lower end portions of the posts to form a rectangular frame, means at the bottom of the frame for supporting the lower ends of sheets, a pair of vertical bars borne by the top and bottom of each of the opposite sides of the frame, and horizontal cross bars borne by said vertical bars and extending .from one to the other side of the frame, said cross bars being provided with means for engaging the edges of laterally spaced sheets to hold them vertically,

bars borne by each pair of said vertical bars and extending from one to the other side of the frame, said cross bars being provided with means for removably engaging the edges of laterally spaced sheets to hold them vertically.

6. A rack for dipping sheet-like material into a coating bath, comprising vertical corner posts and horizontal side and end stays connected to the upper and lower end portions of the posts to form a rectangular frame, a foraminous sheetsupporting floor at the bottom of th frame, a pair of vertical bars borne by the top and bottom of each of the opposite sides of the frame, and horizontal cross bars borne by said vertical bars and extending from one to the other side of the frame, said cross bars being provided with a plurality of laterally spaced fingers independently movable into and out of engagement with the edges of laterally spaced sheets to hold them vertically, and said vertical bars being adjustable on the frame variably to position said cross bars to receive sheets of different widths.

7. A rack for dipping sheet-like material into a coating bath, comprising vertical comer posts and horizontal side and end stays connected to the upper and lower end portions of the posts to form a rectangular frame, a foraminous sheet-supporting floor at the bottom of the frame, a pair of vertical bars borne by the top and bottom of each of the opposite sides of the frame, horizontal and said vertical bars being laterally adjustable (8 cross bars borne by said vertical bars and extending from one to the other side of the frame to form a rectangular frame. a sheet-supporting floor at the bottom of the frame formed of wire mesh. for capillarily accelerating the draining of coating material from the bottoms of coated articles. a pair of vertical bars borne by the top and bottom-of each of the opposite sides of the frame, and horizontal cross bars borne by said vertical bars and extending from one to the other side of the frame, said cross bars being provided with means for engaging the edges or laterally spaced sheets to hold them vertically.

MORTON I. DORFAN. 

